Turkey’s tourism sector experienced a 7.1% increase in foreign visitors during the first eight months of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to the Culture and Tourism Ministry, reported by The Media Line on Wednesday.
Between January and August, 35.8 million international tourists visited the country, with Istanbul being the top destination, drawing in 12.27 million travelers. Antalya, a popular Mediterranean resort city, followed closely behind with 11 million visitors.
In August, typically the busiest time for tourism, Turkey welcomed 6.82 million foreign tourists, a 2.47% rise over August 2023. Russian tourists topped the list of international visitors, with 4.55 million arrivals, followed by 4.38 million from Germany and 3.1 million from the UK.
Turkey had a record year for tourism in 2023, hosting 49.2 million visitors, a jump from 44.5 million in 2022.